Symptoms
Choosing a photo on the new-note page produces an error, the file is rejected outright, or the upload spinner ends in a failure message.
Possible causes
- Unsupported file type. SandDune accepts JPEG and PNG images — not PDFs, HEIC files, or documents. (iPhones photograph in HEIC by default, but picking a photo from your library in the browser converts it automatically in nearly all cases; the issue usually appears only when a raw
.heicfile is sent from a file manager or another app.) - An extremely large image that compression couldn't shrink enough.
- A flaky connection — mobile data dropping mid-upload.
How to fix
- Pick the photo from your photo library rather than sharing a file from another app — that path delivers JPEG.
- If a file is rejected on an iPhone, you can also set Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible to shoot JPEG directly.
- For a huge image, take the photo fresh at normal camera settings instead of a scanner-app export — SandDune compresses large photos automatically, and normal phone photos are well within limits.
- On a weak connection, retry on Wi-Fi. The upload happens before transcription, so a failed upload never spends your transcription allowance.
When to contact support
If a normal phone photo (JPEG/PNG, taken with the camera) repeatedly fails on a good connection, email support@sanddune.ai with the approximate time, your device/browser, and the failure message you see.